Fuchsia plant named ‘Goetzcarl’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Fuchsia plant named ‘Goetzcarl’, characterized by its upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and compact plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant growth habit; and numerous violet and red-colored flowers.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Fuchsia×hybrida cultivarGoetzcarl.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Fuchsiaplant, botanically known as Fuchsia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred toby the name ‘Goetzcarl’.

The new Fuchsia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Hebrechtingen, Germany. The objective of the breedingprogram was to create new Fuchsia cultivars with compact plant habit andnumerous attractive flowers.

The new Fuchsia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventorof a proprietary selection Fuchsia×hybrida identified as code number370/97, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietaryselection Fuchsia×hybrida identified as code number 129/97, notpatented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Goetzcarl wasdiscovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within theprogeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment inHebrechtingen, Germany, during the summer of 1997.

Asexual reproduction of the new Fuchsia by terminal cuttings taken atHebrechtingen, Germany has shown that the unique features of this newFuchsia are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Goetzcarl has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and daylength, without,however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Goetzcarl’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Goetzcarl’ as a new and distinct Fuchsiacultivar:

1. Upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and compact plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant growth habit.

3. Numerous violet and red-colored flowers.

Sepal color of plants of the new Fuchsia is more intense than sepalcolor of plants of the female parent. In addition, plants of the newFuchsia flower earlier than plants of the female parent. Plants of thenew Fuchsia are more compact and more freely flowering than plants ofthe male parent.

Plants of the new Fuchsia can be compared to the cultivar Goetzviol,disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted in Hebrechtingen, Germany, plants ofthe new Fuchsia had larger leaves than plants of the cultivar Goetzvioland differed in flower coloration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Fuchsia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which more accurately describe the colorsof the new Fuchsia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof three typical flowering plants of ‘Goetzcarl’ grown in a 15-cmcontainer.

The photograph at the bottom sheet is a close-up view of typicalflowers, flower buds and leaves of ‘Goetzcarl’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Bonsall, Calif., under commercialpractice during the winter in a polypropylene-covered shadehouse withday temperatures ranging from 18 to 35° C., night temperatures rangingfrom 7 to 18° C., and light levels about 5,000 to 7,000 foot-candles.Three rooted cuttings were planted per 15-cm container and plants weregrown for about nine weeks. In the following description, colorreferences are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart,1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

Botanical classification: Fuchsia×hybrida cultivar Goetzcarl.

Parentage:

Female or seed parent.—Proprietary selection of Fuchsia×hybridaidentified as code number 370/97, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Fuchsia×hybridaidentified as code number 129/97, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About two to three weeks.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About eight weeks.

Root description.—Fine and freely-branching; white to light brown incolor.

Plant description:

Form.—Upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and compact plant habit;inverted triangle. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants; aboutfour lateral branches develop per plant; pinching (removal of terminalapex) enhances lateral branch development. Freely flowering. Moderatelyvigorous.

Plant height at flowering.—About 21 cm.

Plant diameter at flowering.—About 15 cm.

Lateral branch description.—Length: About 15 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm.Internode length: About 3.1 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Slightlypubescent. Color: 146B.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Simple, opposite. Length: About 3.3cm. Width: About 1.8 cm. Shape: Ovate to lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base:Obtuse. Margin: Mostly entire with a few shallow points. Texture, upperand lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Venation pattern: Pinnate,arcuate. Petiole length: About 1 cm. Petiole diameter: About 1 mm.Petiole texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color:Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper surface: 147A. Developingand fully expanded leaves, lower surface: 147B. Venation, upper surface:147B. Venation, lower surface: 147C. Petiole, upper and lower surfaces:146B.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Single bi-colored axillary flowers. Freelyflowering; potentially two flowers per leaf axil; about two to threeopen flowers and about eight flower buds per lateral branch. Flowers notpersistent. Flowers not fragrant.

Natural flowering season.—March through October in southern California;flowering continuous during this period.

Flower longevity.—Flowers last about five days on the plant.

Flower orientation.—Initially upright, then pendulous.

Flower diameter.—About 4.5 cm.

Flower height.—About 5.5 cm.

Flower buds.—Shape: Elongated, ovoid. Length: About 2.6 cm. Width: About8 mm. Color: Towards the apex, 52A; towards the base, 53B.

Petals.—Quantity: Four; arranged in a single whorl, imbricate. Length:About 1.5 cm. Width: About 1.7 cm. Shape: Ovate to cordate. Apex:Slightly emarginate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:Glabrous, smooth, velvety. Color: When opening, upper and lowersurfaces: Darker than 90A. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: 90B;towards the base, 58B; with development, color becoming closer to 77A.

Sepals.—Quantity: Four; arranged in a single whorl, fused at base.Length, from apex of tube to apex of sepals: About 2.6 cm. Length, tube:About 8 mm. Width: About 8 mm. Tube diameter: About 5 mm. Shape:Narrowly elliptic to linear. Apex: Acuminate. Margin: Entire. Texture,upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth. Color: When opening, uppersurface: 52A. When opening, lower surface: 53C. Fully opened, upper andlower surfaces: 52A. Tube: 52A.

Peduncles.—Length: About 1.2 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Aspect:Horizontal to arching. Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous.Color: 144A.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Stamen number: Eight per flower. Anthersize: About 2 mm by 2 mm. Anther shape: Nearly round. Anther color: 53B.Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 10C. Pistils: Pistil number: Oneper flower. Pistil length: About 5.2 cm. Style length: About 4.6 cm.Style color: 67D. Stigma shape: Rounded, four-segmented. Stigma color:10D. Ovary color: 144A.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Fuchsia have not beenobserved to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Fuchsias.

Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Fuchsia have been observed totolerate low temperatures of 0° C. and high temperatures of 38° C.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Fuchsia perform have been observedto perform well in the garden and are tolerant to rain and wind.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Fuchsia plant named‘Goetzcarl’, as illustrated and described.